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Darryl Stephens gave me a very thoughtful interview on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards last Thursday where “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” was up for three awards including outstanding independent movie.

Being at this partiucular awards show and it being more than three months since California voters passed Proposition 8, our conversation was different from any we had had before.

On “Jumping the Broom” getting an Image Award nomination: “The thing about this movie is it really didn’t give you time to be squeamish. If you were not comfortable with the subject matter, you had about 30 seconds after the movie started to get comfortable. The fact that the NAACP has embraced the film and has been very, very supportive, it means a lot. It’s an incredible statement to hear from the NAACP that they’re recognizing gay brothers. It’s a bug step for them.”

Writer-director “Patrick-Ian Polk was very deliberate in the image he wanted to present. He wasn’t giving you down-low brothers, he was giving you black gay men who were comfortable in their skin and who were living their lives responsibly and without shame.”

On the movie’s reception on DVD: “Our fans have always been incredible. It was heartbreaking for a number of people because there was such a limited release in theaters and in the smaller cities like places in Ohio and the Midwest and the South, it didn’t come out anywhere. So I think they were excited to finally see it (on DVD). They really, really loved the movie.”

The movie, which features the marriage between Noah and Wade (Jensen Atwood) was released less than two weeks before the Nov. 4 election. Because of this timing, Darryl sees a real lost opportunity because the movie did not have a very wide release theatrically.

“I hate to say this but I feel like if the film had played at the Magic Johnson Theater instead of the theater in West Hollywood, it might have had more of an impact on that vote. We’ve been so fixtated on locating gay stories in West Hollywood and there’s so many other black people in California who need to be reached and in the U.S. Getting outside of those environments is what Prop. 8 showed us that we need to do.”

After the vote, Darryl was part of one of the bigger rallies in downtown Los Angeles and I wondered if more activism was in store for him since he was such a powerful and articulate voice for gay rights.

“I’m honestly trying to focus more on art this year,” he said. “I got very into the activism last year and it was great but it’s not paying bills. I’m doing some things here and there to stay active and educate people when i can but I’m not really as focused on that.. There are people who are really committed who do an amazing job and when they reach out and say, ‘Can you help us with this?’ I’m happy to.”

Back to posting and all is right with the world. Spent the morning at the Beverly Hilton covering the announcement of the nominations for the 40th NAACP Image Awards.

I’ve written a piece for tomorrow’s paper but for the blog, wanted to focus on the nominations for “Noah’s Arc” Jumping the Broom.” It was nominated for Outstanding Independent Motion POicture and will compete with “Ballast,” “Rachel Getting Married” (huh?), “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Visitor.”

Also, Patrik-Ian Polk, the movie’s writer and director and creator of the “Noah’s Arc” franchise, was nominated along with co-writer John R. Gordon for outstanding writing in a motion picture. They will compete with the writers of “Cadillac Records,” “The Secret Lives of Bees,” “Rachel Getting Married” and “A Raisen in the Sun.”

And guess who I ran into at the nominations press conference:”Noah’s Arc” cast member Jason Steed who plays pop star Baby Gat in the movie and the series who has the serious hots for Noah – even during his wedding weekend!

“I’m so excited,” he said. “It’s great. It’s come a long way and now been nominated for best indie and now we just gotta win.”

He’s looking forward to the film’s release on DVD next month: “The DVD is probably where it’s going to be really exploding. It’s the kind of movie that did really well through word of mouth so the fans are really supportive. If there had been more money behind it and more promotion (for the theatrical release) it would have done even better. It’s a movie for everyone to see and should not have just been in selected cities. It should not have been put in a box.”

Logo announced today that one of my favoriate movies from last year, “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom,” will be out on DVD on Feb. 3. In addition to the movie, which focuses on the wedding of Noah (Darryl Stephens) and Wade (Jensen Atwood) and the DVD will include such brand-new special features as a “Making Of” featurette, deleted scenes, photo shoots and more. It will also be sold as a 2-pack with the film’s soundtrack which has a lot of catchy tunes and two songs by Pheobe Snow who has a cameo at the end of the film.

In the movie, two years have gone by in the lives of the characters who we got to know during their two seasons on Logo. For his wedding at Martha’s Vinyard, Noah invites his inner circle Alex (Rodney Chester), Ricky (Christian Vincent), Chance (Doug Spearman) and their significant others for a weekend wedding getaway. Drama ensues as one-by-one their relationships start to crack under the pressure of closer examination. Add to the mix Alex’s crazy-making wedding prep, a closeted superstar rapper, a high-maintenance studio exec, and a surprise visitor and you’ve got a drama-filled feature length reunion.

“Broom” was directed by Patrik-Ian Polk from a script he co-wrote with John R. Gordon.

Here are some clips from the movie. Yes, the both feature Rodney Chester prominently because his is my favorite performance in the film!

At last week’s Hollywood premiere of the feature film “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom,” creator-director Patrik-Ian Polk alluded to the TV series inexplicably being cancelled after two seasons when he introduced the movie.

He said he could not even pretend to begin to understand network economics but quickly added: “It’s hard to be mad at them when I’m standing here in a movie theater.”

So, a feature film does take the sting away a bit (a lot actually since it is so good) but fans of the show can’t help but think about what was lost – the two years in time where the show ended and the movie begins.

Stars Darryl Stephens and Jensen Atwood, (pictured right with co-star Christian Vincent) said in an interview this week on AfterElton.com, say even they have never had it explained to them why the show was pulled off the air.

Atwood: “I was shocked when we were canceled. I’ve heard a lot of speculation as far as why people think it was canceled. I also think that there is somebody out there that knows what the real answer is – the person who makes those decisions. I would like to have someone sit down whoever that person is and genuinely ask them the reasoning behind it. It just makes no sense not only to me, but to a lot of our fans as well.”

Stephens: “We were given a lot of information, information that was useful in trying to comfort us when we found out that we weren’t going into production on a third season, but nothing that made me understand why one of the network’s biggest shows wasn’t coming back to television. I think that the movie was a great way to end the show and it’s a nice final chapter, but I don’t really get why the show didn’t come back.

I will say that I understand that Logo has a lot of people that they’re trying to appeal to within the LGBTQ community. A show like Noah’s Arc is not the cheapest show to produce. Looking at a show like Shirts & Skins, it’s much more cost-effective for them to do a show like that as opposed to this big narrative with wardrobe budgets and sets and shooting in Vancouver. If they feel like they’re going to make more money on a show that doesn’t cost as much, that’s what the network is going to do. ”

Still seems like a bone-headed decision to me but kudos to Logo for making “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” its first feature film release. We will forgive them even more if they fast-track another installment. That seems like it would be a good business decision!

In the movie “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” and on the TV series it inspired, actor Doug Spearman plays a married gay man. In real life, he’s a single gay man with the right to get married. He’d like for it to stay that way.

When you see “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” (it should be opening in more theaters in the coming weeks), brace yourself for a really wonderful performance from Christian Vincent. He plays Ricky, the sexy and most promiscious of the four friends who are at the core of the “Noah’s Arc” series and film.

What is most fascinating in this movie is that we find out why Ricky has been such a tramp: “Even in the series, there were indications of Ricky’s progression and why he behaves in the manner that he behaves,” Christian told me last week. “In this film, I enjoyed what I considered the meaty parts which are the unveiling of the character, stripping away some of those layers. For me, that was the most fun. I had a really good time doing this movie.”

Trust me, he nails it!

I wondered how this five-year journey has been for him, from the low-budget Internet early days to TV series to big screen hit: We did the first season and it’s kind of like you find your way then the second season was easier and then the movie was the next step. It’s like putting on a pair of comfortable shoes. It gets easier as you go along.”

In the end, actor and character ended up being the perfect fit: “I had a good time playing Ricky. The funny thing is, initially I was gonna be Noah and I thought that role was going to be easier for me to play. In retrospect, I’m glad I got (Ricky) because it’s about what’s underneath, the reason behind the behavior. That’s what I found more interesting. “When you take on a role, to give it the best justice, you don’t judge the individual that you’re playing and you believe what you’re doing.”

Christian has had many opportunities open up to him as a result of “Noah’s Arc” including a role in the upcoming film “Center Stage: Turn it Up.” He is grateful to the viewers who have remained loyal through it all.

“Our fans are great. They are very positive. It’s like we are the voice that have not been spoken for as of yet and hopefully it opens the door more for people who are not represented on television. It’s not an easy thing. I think Logo has gone across a lot of boundaries but there’s still a long way to go in a lot of areas.”

And finally, I had to know. Wy is it that Ricky’s kissing scenes were always the hottest, the most realistic. Christian says this: “What’s the secret? I don’t know if I’d say good training.Practice? Instinct. Acting, you have to make it as real as possible. If we’re in a scene together and you’re supposed to be in love with that person then you love that person and you want to kiss that person.”

He plays a college professor on “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom.” That does not seem much of a stretch since off-screen, Douglas Spearman is so thoughtful and articulate.

But above all, when we spoke last Thursday, he was feeling the enormity of his TV series having a big splashy premiere as a feature film at Grauman’s.

“I am nervous beyond belief right now,” he said. “People ask if I’m excited and I think there is a very fine line between nerves and excitement. It’s crazy that we’re in a movie about four gay black men that is going to be in theaters nationwide. We’re standing here at (Grauman’s), the most famous theater in all of the world and we’re doing a movie with four black men. I mean, what happened to the world? Who are we? Times have changed.”

So why has “Noah’s Arc” struck a cord with so many people from its early days to its two seasons on the Logo network and on DVD.

“The thing about ‘Noah’s Arc’ overall, whether we’re talking about the TV series or the film, it’s about relationships. It’s about friendships, it’s about marriages, about meeting and hooking up then breaking apart. ‘Noah’s Arc’ talks about the way that people feel when they go through them. I don’t care if you’re dealing with two women or two men, the story’s the story. A marriage is a marriage and making a commitment is making a commitment. It applies to everybody.”

I wondered if “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” would give people a unique window into gay relationships: “People don’t know what gay relationships are like because you don’t see gay relationships,” Doug said.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to play Chance and that I really invested in him was because he was a guy who’s working it out in a relationship with a child and you never get to see that kind of behavior modeled. Not until ‘Breakfast with Scot’ came about did you see two men actually raising a child that I can remember. Everytime we tell a story that isn’t just ablout some 17 year old white kid’s coming out or something that we’ve seen over and over again, we edicate people. We’re just like your neighbors.”

The series and the cast has come such a long way from the early days of “no money, no studios. Nothing. It was very guerilla filmmaking.”

“To now be here five years later, it’s pretty astounding to me. But then again the world has changed to allow us to be who we are and do what we do.”

It was so terrific to meet and talk with the wonderfully talented actor, Rodney Chester, an absolute riot in “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom.” He is a joy to watch in this film with such superb comic timing.

I loved watching his performance and appreciated it twice as much when I watched the movie the second time last week. It was surreal to have him sitting just two rows in back of me during the premiere and hearing some of his reactions. I cherish the memory.

We chatted briefly before the start of the screening.

“When I first read the script,” he said. “I loved it.”

His character of Alex spits out sassy one-liners throughout but he also has a lot of heart which we see in two key scenes. But mostly, Alex is the wedding planner from hell when the friends gather at Martha’s Vinyard for the wedding of Noah (Darryl Stephens) and Wade (Jensen Atwood).

“They looked at me as the mother hen of the group, sort of the one that would really get everyone together when things weren’t going well,” he said. “I was really the one to pick everybody back up and make it work.”

From talking to various cast members and series creator Patrik-Ian Polk, it seems as though the movie really is the end of the “Noah’s Arc” franchise. Is Rodney ready to say goodbye to such aq delicious character?

“You know, I guess you never say never but I believe, from what we understand, this possibly is it,” he said. “So I’m ready to do other things and see what happens. It really has done a lot because of the people – the wonderful fans. We can see how much we really have meant to the fans who love the show so much and have such loyalty to the show. Kids coming up to us crying. It touches us because it makes us know that we are having some kind of impact on the community in general, not just gay, not just black, but with everyone.”

Who could blame Noah for wanting to marry Wade in “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom”?

I mean, look at him!

He’s played by the gorgeous Jensen Atwood who gives a first-rate performance in a film that gave the actor some cholce material to work with. We talked about that Thursday at the movie’s premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

“I think the film was awesome and my favorite thing would probably be the editing of the film, the way it continues to move along,” said Jensen. “There’s never a dull moment within it. You get to see Wade like you’ve never seen him before and I’m thankful to the writers for letting my character continue to develop.”

He’s also pleased the the movie is set-up in such a way that even people who have never seen a single episode of the show are brought quickly up to speed: “The great thing about the movie is that those who aren’t familiar with the series, they can still go see the movie and enjoy a night of great romantic comedy.”

So what was it like to work with this terrikfic cast again after a few years apart? (The series ceased production two years before work on the film began).

Said Jensen: “Darryl and I did an interview together just recently and we were talking about moments that were memorable for us. I think one of the most memorable was when all of the cast gathered at LAX to leave for Canada. Some of us hadn’t seen each other in awhile and so to be in that circle of friends again, the energy was right.”

Jensen has emerged as a sex symbol for men and women alike with his own calendar and his role as a bisexual warlock on the Here! network series “Dante’s Cove.,” But it all began with “Noah’s Arc” more than five years ago.

“It’s definitely jump-started my career,” he said of the shoiw. “These are unexpected choices that have fallen into my lap but I take them wholeheartedly and I’m thankful to have the fanbase that I have from ‘Noah’s Arc,’ from ‘Dante’s Cove’ and it’s because of them that I was able to do the calendar.”

I could not let Jensen go without asking about his hair in the movie. Gone until the wedding scene are his signature cornrows.

“It was ultimately my choice,” he explained. “(Director Patrik-Ian Polk) and I had talked about it. He wanted the hair out and he thought it would be nice to have the hair out for the wedding scene. I thought it would be nice to see Wade in a different light and to see him throughout the entire movie with his hair out and then for the wedding scene, bring back what is familiar to the fans.”

Did it feel different to have his hair out or add anything to the performance?

“It did!” he said. “I think it tied into the character. My character is getting married to Noah and he’s at a point now where he is more free, he’s a lot more comfortable with himself. When we first saw Wade, he was just coming into his own sexuality and so now you see him in a feature film and just like his hair, he’s free.”

Darryl Stephens was very thankful for the positive write-ups I’ve done about “Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom” but it is me who is thankful to him and everyone involved with the movie for giving audiences a real treat.

Darryl and I have talked many times over the years about “Noah’s Arc” as well as some of his other roles in such films as “Boy Culture” and “Another Gay Movie.” But it was special to be able to connect with him Thursday at Grauman’s in Hollywood on the night of the film’s premiere.

I remarked to Darryl that Noah has changed. He seems much more self-assured in the movie than he was in the series, which stopped production two years ago.

“I feel like Noah had grown up a lot in the two years we had off,” he said. ” He had been forced to grow up. Within this story, he’s sort of forced to take the reins where in the series, he counted on his friends a lot more. He was a little bit more of a whiner on the show, was very unsure of himself. In the movie, he has to step up and help his friends out instead of always counting on them to always bail him out.”

Since the characters are in Martha’s Vinyard and staying in the same house in the days leading up to Noah’s and Wade’s wedding, the film had a bit of a “The Big Chill” vibe of close friends in close quarters and secrets coming out.

“Being in that situation really does change you,” Darryl said. “If you’ve ever traveled with close friends and you’re stuck in close quarters for a period of time, you realize there are things about your best friend that you did not know. And those types of situations can change a relationship and I think it’s kind of exciting to see these characters stuck in that kind of situation, particularly given that it’s probably the last time we’re going to see them. It really heightens their awareness of each other and their understanding of each other.”

So how was it for this terrific ensemble of actors to work together again after some time apart?

“We love each other,” said Darryl. “We’ve been working together for five years and we genuinely are fond of each other. With the first season, we were definitely green with regards to doing television and how to put on a TV show and act on a TV show. By the second season we were a little more confident and had a better sense of what things worked in the first season and what we could change. Then by the time we got around to doing the film, we just did what we knew how to do. There was a sense of this is probably the last time we’re gonna do it so just blow it out.”

He also shared the influence that Rodney Chester, the comic center of the film, upped the ante a bit for the cast: “When we got on the plane to go to Canada, Rodney Chester (Alex) had all of his lines memorized. We’re sitting in the airport and he’s reciting all of his lines. I hadn’t learned all my lines. Something about Rodney being ready when we first got on the plane, I feel like it just raised everybody’s game. Everyone was like, “Oh, we’re doing it like that! That’s how you wanna play? We’re doing it!’”